***Another special edition of Weekly Flow, dedicated entirely to Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA.***
One of my favorite artists, an artist I talk about frequently in this column and truly believe is one of the most talented artists that our generation gets to witness & experience. I’ll admit, I was a bit caught off guard when I first saw some of the album promo. I wasn’t sure if this project would be for me based on the clip of “St. Chroma” that I heard on social media, but damn… this album is in a whole arena of its own. (I also thoroughly enjoy and vibe with St. Chroma now. Never judge a book by its cover.)
CHROMAKOPIA just might be some of Tyler, The Creator’s best work. He truly is getting better each and every time. This album delivers on all the points. The sound is variant yet strong throughout it all. The lyrics balance vulnerability and dive deeper into his “lore” or background, which is appreciated by fans that have been around for years and can pull back to references & songs from his past projects. There truly are no weak parts. I love that we get to experience so much more humanity and personality in this story about Tyler Okonma. The album is still fresh so I won’t make any claims on how this stands up against the others, but damn does this make me feel proud to be a Tyler, The Creator fan.
On release day, I think I listened to this album 4 or 5 times. There are so many details, references, samples, and stories woven into the lyrics that I wanted to be open to hearing each time. Tyler, The Creator is such a detail-oriented and intentional artist, so nothing about this album was giving put it on and do something else, no, you’ve gotta actually sit down and listen and pay attention– that’s also what makes his music so amazing to see live in concert. Although the features from this album were hidden at first, I knew exactly who I was hearing on these tracks. Especially so, as many of the artists that I have been listening to religiously over the past year and a half are having their moment on CHROMAKOPIA. This project was meant for me, dare I say!
On my first listen, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I didn’t listen to the single, nor did I have any expectations of what he was going to release this time around. I went in blank slate, open to [and expecting to] hear anything. It was a full body experience to hear this album for the first time. Immediate stand-outs for me were “Darling, I”, “Sticky”, “Balloon”, and “I Hope You Find Your Way Home”. Sonically and musically, these 4 songs caught my attention and made my ears perk.
> Darling, I
Darling, I reminds me of Tyler’s prior album Call Me If You Get Lost. It’s reminiscent of old school hip-hop and R&B. It’s wavy and smooth as hell with a California west-coast vibe about it that sounds so natural to him, which I truly enjoy about his music. Teezo Touchdown as the feature on this song makes me so happy. I thoroughly enjoyed his album How Do You Sleep At Night? with a funky vibe and honest lyricism. His sound is unique and upbeat that fits really well on this track. I love intentional collaborations, and I love to see Tyler working with up-and-coming artists who are paving their own lane and owning that.
The lyrics on this song are honest, encapsulating this coming to terms realization of just existing and not focusing on monogamy because there’s so much love & joy to experience in life. I appreciate the decision to make these lyrics & this sentiment into an upbeat song because it doesn’t have to be perceived as sad, or lonely, or even as negative “f-boy-like” behavior. Especially with his mom ending the song with “Transparency is key, be honest” like, yeah, that’s really all anyone is asking for. Not everyone is chasing traditional monogamy and that’s okay! But be a mature respectful adult about it, and be confident in your choices. Truly a well-executed & meaningful song!
> Sticky
Sticky kicks off the second half of the album, and on my first listen, I had to stop this song midway to give my brain & nervous system time to register the absolute fire that I was hearing. Sticky is a DAMN. GOOD. SONG. It was at this moment that I knew Tyler did not come to play with this album. This is a hip-hop track. This is a rap track. Yet it also sounds sooo good musically. My biggest gripe with most present day hip-hop and rap music is that their beats are lackluster & the actual music isn’t memorable. This song though? This song is for bopping and grooving and letting the music flow through your body. Sticky unlocks a type of primal instinct in one’s body to MOVE. The features on this from GloRilla, Sexxy Red & Lil Wayne are the icing on the cake. A combination of some newer icons and an OG, all three of these artists delivered on their features. I love how the last minute of this song transitions into a smoother jazzy bit with the horns. Again, Tyler’s knowledge of real music and incorporation of actual instruments always stands out to me. I love it. This song at a darty, a tailgate, a house party, or the club will bring the necessary vibe to the function that people desperately need. 10s across the board!
> Balloon
Finally a Doechii collab!!!! I actually manifested this. I love that Doechii is finally getting recognized and gaining exposure. She possesses so much unique talent that is so refreshing for black queer youth & young adults, like this is so fulfilling to hear the two of them on a track together. Doechii is the female rap version of Tyler, The Creator to me. A perfect synergy. Balloon is poppy, it’s fun, the beat is a bit kooky and it works. Doechii slides on her verse, providing the perfect feature as a window into who she is as an artist. It’s dynamic, it’s queer af and she does it confidently. Justice for this song as I fear the locals won’t get it, but this means a lot to me.
> I Hope You Find Your Way Home
I have such a soft spot for the softer, deeper & more tender R&B songs. I Hope You Find Your Way Home is the perfect final track, the perfect conclusion and is reminiscent of the tone shift we get on IGOR with “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”. Instrumentally, I love the combination of the keys with the synth. It’s a modern symphony. The lyrics in this song just bring it home for this project too, specifically at 2:00 when he says the below:
To me this song is about finding your peace and being satisfied with yourself and your accomplishments, even if it isn’t always appreciated or recognized externally in the ways you think it should be. There’s so much emotion being conveyed in this song even though there aren’t a ton of lyrics in the second half- it takes a certain type of musician to do that. Love it, no notes.
Just off those three songs alone, I think even non-Tyler fans could see the validity of this album. There truly is something for each type of music listener. A handful of songs stood out to me on first listen for their lyricism & story alone: “Hey Jane”, “Take Your Mask Off”, and “Like Him”.
> Hey Jane
Hey Jane is a vulnerable recollection of unexpected pregnancy & the thoughts, feelings & emotions, and conversations that exist within that experience. Tyler has such a skilled ability to flow throughout a track in a story-telling way that is quite remarkable here. The dialogue he portrays between himself and this other party is also really well done. There’s humanity in this track. There’s vulnerability and honesty. It feels very mature & meaningful. Tyler can talk shit about how meaningless & lifeless a lot of other music in the industry is nowadays when he releases songs like this. Hey Jane is a song in the truest sense. He delivered a story and it was received. I’ve already been seeing some discourse on social media about it and the little easter eggs people are picking up on– this is what makes listening to music fun & conversational.
> Take Your Mask Off
This song feels like a therapy session. It hits different for me, particularly the chorus of “I hope you find yourself, I hope you take your mask off.” (and I do enjoy that Daniel Caesar is the voice behind that specific part.) Felt that. Existing in various environments, societies & systems that I don’t particularly feel called to be in anymore, yet I still am due to conditioning, fear, or both. Taking my own mask off is valid in my life right now as I continue exploring confidently showcasing my true self and creating a life that I feel good about & aligned with. There’s something about hearing a totally different person, a stranger, a celebrity even, express their thoughts on authenticity and confronting your inner self that’s validating for me. I don’t feel like those of us that are caught in the rat race & serving the machine can always get line of sight to this path of true self embodiment, but I think more of us Gen-Z will – or at least desire to. It’s healing to me in a way to hear snippets of Tyler’s mom encourage confidence and being yourself. I don’t want to hear “do the safe option” or “choose security,” I want to feel empowered to do me. So I needed to hear that, even if it is via a song.
> Like Him
Like Him is deep. I think all of our jaws dropped & eyes widened at the end of this song. What an incredibly vulnerable expression of one’s relationship with their father, and how their perception of their father contributed to their identity. This is another one of those songs where you just sit and listen to the lyrics. It’s so common for folks to have troubled, or complex relationships with their father figures, if any relationship at all. In this instance, we find out that what we once thought to be true isn’t actually the full picture. This song captures how even our parents are just humans existing for the first time, working through problems & challenges of their own in the best way they can. People can state this POV on social media and acknowledge its validity, but hearing someone summarize the essence of those feelings and that truth into a song for the world to hear is moving. As Tyler has said before, “blah blah blah blah about trauma, you ain’t special everybody got problems,” yet not everyone can or will recognize, admit, and/or heal those problems.
Personally, this album reached me at the right time. In divine timing, if you will. At a time when the disconnect between celebrities & the 1% and regular folks is so apparent & loud, at a time when we are on the precipice of “waking up” and letting go of the system & the machine, this album reinforces that at the end of the day we’re all people. Not to get all existential, but we’re humans with souls and experiences that others can relate to, and being vulnerable with your stories has the power to reach many people, including ones who may really need to hear it. I saw a clip from the Atlanta album preview performance where Tyler said the content & message of this album felt so raw and vulnerable that he had to wear a mask to do it. That part… I feel that deep in my soul. Even as I write to the void & mutuals that I know irl, I can’t help but think that I need to be shielded in a way to unleash my truest ideas & projections. Hearing that an artist that I respect and appreciate also felt similarly, did it anyways, ate down and is being embraced & appreciated by many is so fulfilling and meaningful.
I appreciate Tyler’s commitment to creation and his refusal to “sell-out”. He’s doing him and we eat it up every time. It works. We are so lucky to exist during this time and to get to experience his genius in real time. I got an odd feeling while listening that this could be his last album. Something about CHROMAKOPIA feels like a farewell… idk. Something shifted with this!
This album IS Tyler, The Creator. I’m looking forward to seeing this live on tour, this is my church!
“THANK YOU TYLER!!”,
We all say in unison.
You will always be famous.
THE IDENTITY CRISIS 